I have had a lot of people come to me with headaches over the years. I’ve seen types like migraine headaches, tension headaches, cervicogenic headaches, medication induced headaches, dental headaches, cluster headaches and of course hangover headaches. Some were severe, others were mild. Some were constant, some would come and go. Locations varied throughout the cranium from behind the eyes to the base of the skull. Some were taking medication for their headaches and it seemed to help, the headache went away. Others were taking medications for years and still getting headaches. This is where I see the problem.
Headaches are a symptom, just like any other pain you perceive. Symptoms are your body’s way of letting you know there is a problem. So, that being said, it’s understood that a symptom is an EFFECT, therefore there must be a CAUSE. As a Chiropractor, my job is to find the cause of the disfunction which may have led to the headache. There is one thing for sure, the cause of pain is never the lack of pharmaceuticals in your body. Ignoring and covering up these headaches, and other symptoms, can allow the problem to progress because the cause was never addressed.
Chiropractors do not treat your symptoms, including headaches. We look for what’s called SUBLUXATION in the spine and we Adjust it. The spine and skull protect your Central Nervous System comprised of your brain and spinal cord. Your CNS is the delivery system for your Innate Intelligence, that mysterious something that built you from two cells into billions. This intelligence is also responsible for the coordination of ALL function in your body, including healing. Your spinal cord has branches that exit through holes between each of your vertebrae and continue to branch out to every cell, tissue, organ and system in your body. When one or more of those vertebrae loses its normal position to the extent where it changes the shape of the hole where the nerve exits, it causes an interference in the transmission of the mental impulses created by your Innate Intelligence across that nerve. As a consequence, whatever that nerve supplies will not function or heal at 100%. Not only that, but it also takes energy from the entire system in order to adapt and survive. This is Subluxation, and it has many symptoms, including headaches.
When your brain or head hurts that’s a pretty good indication that your CNS is being interfered with and you are likely Subluxated. In our office it is protocol to check the upper two vertebrae just beneath the skull. We give it priority due to its location and proximity to the brain stem. We have found that more than 90% of the people we see with headaches are Subluxated at one, or both, of these vertebra. Once the Adjustment is made, and the pressure is removed from the brainstem, the patient’s headaches begin to disappear. It didn’t matter what type of headache it was, even the hangover types improved. They all respond the same way. Some went away after the first Adjustment. Others took months before fading. It all depends on how long the Subluxation has been present and the lifestyle of the patient.
Don’t get me wrong. Not all headaches will go away with Chiropractic Adjustments alone. There are most certainly other causes, although rare. But, to give yourself the best chance of recovery, making sure your free of nerve interference due to spinal Subluxation is great place to start.
– Kris Peterson, DC
Virginia Hill Chiropractic, PC
404-477-7911
www.kindspine.com